Comparing Hero And Beatrice In Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

The female role during Shakespeare’s era is that of daughter, wife, or mother. There was no greater ambition to which women could aspire, especially for the women of the upper class. The only gain a woman could make was to find a good match for a husband. In Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare portrays the perceived faults, flaws, and fidelity the women of his time faced through the characters Hero and Beatrice. In Much Ado About Nothing, Hero and Beatrice, while cousins, are opposite sides of the same coin; and are as different as day and night. Hero is the height of respectable femininity as a quiet and dutiful daughter. While Beatrice’s witty, outspoken and opinionated personality is a mark against her beauty. Both of the women represent two very different versions of a female, yet, in the end, both of them are defined by the act of marriage. Stressing that the highest that these women could reach was for a husband.

Shakespeare established Beatrice’s character in order to bring to the stage opposition to the “ typical woman” of the Elizabethan era and shed light on gender inequality. Hero seems to be the optimal woman, polite, obedient, and quiet. She supports societies patriarchal views, submitting first to her father, who commands her to accept Claudio’s hand when he proposes, and submissive to her new fiancé, even after he publicly humiliates her. Beatrice, on the other hand, is cynical, sharp, witty, and a feisty woman. A woman legitimately criticizing a man does not go with gender roles in this society, and therefore Leonato feels the need to cover it up, belittling and dismissing what Beatrice has to say -- her honest opinion of Benedick. The same issue seems to arise when Beatrice and Benedick banter back and forth. Beatrice takes jabs at Benedick’s character, and unable to handle a woman insulting him, he gives up, or cops out. Beatrice stands out as a character in Much Ado about nothing because she is a proud, strong female character, rare during Shakespeare’s time. She refuses to marry because she hasn’t found a perfect equal partner and is unwilling to submit her control and freedom to a husband. She yearns to be equal with men, something that challenges the gender inequality of Elizabethan time.

Benedick and Beatrice within the plot are both individuals with similar headstrong egos, while Hero and Claudio are both a duo of mesmerized partners towards each other’s passions and love. Benedick is an arrogant and dense-minded gentleman towards any object or task which proves his nobility to his pride by denying the theory that Beatrice is in love with him. Accordingly, an example of this is represented directly from him towards Beatrice, “Then is courtesy a turncoat. But it is certain I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted; and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart, for truly I love none.” (Act 1, Scene 1) Beatrice is the perceptive one in the pair, while showing the similar traits of inflexibility as Benedick. Another Hero response for the previous quote can be used as an illustration of her ego, “A dear happiness to women! They would else have been troubled with a pernicious suitor.

In Shakespeare’s play, Much Ado About Nothing, written in the early 15th century, the relationships between Benedick and Beatrice and Hero and Claudio are the key to the play and create a lot of tension and comedy. The two relationships are interesting in different ways, and this essay will explore this in terms of the language used, the plot, characterisation and how the two relationships stand thematically.

In Shakespeare’s comedic play “Much Ado about Nothing” there are many unique characters but the character Beatrice sticks out for many reasons. Beatrice is not like the other characters in “Much Ado about Nothing.” She “rebels” against the idea of conformity and humility that was prevalent during that time period for women; therefore, she fit the archetype of

In comparing and contrasting Hero and Beatrice, one could write more on their differences, though they were very close with each other. Beatrice is witty, hard, cynical, sharp, energetic, realistic, quarrelsome, strong and forceful, unlike Hero, who is polite,

Shakespeare’s play ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ has two main female characters, Beatrice and Hero, who are cousins. Both appear to be completely different in the beginning of the play but, as things progress and their characters develop, there are also some very obvious similarities between them. Hero and Beatrice have a very close relationship; they are best friends. Leonato is Hero’s father but Beatrice has no parents, which gives her greater freedom. Where Hero is polite, quiet, respectful and gentle, Beatrice is feisty, cynical, witty, and sharp.

Hero is quite, kind, respectful and modest while Beatrice is witty, independent and fierce. Beatrice is a powerful woman and is not afraid to question the validity of a man’s honour. Beatrice has strong beliefs about what a real man is and should be. Beatrice: What should I do with him—dress him in my apparel and make him my waiting gentlewoman? He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man; and he that is more than a youth is not for me, and he that is less than a man, I am not for him. (2.1.128–132). In these lines Beatrice explains why she must remain unmarried, according to her there is no man who would be the perfect match for her. According to Beatrice a man who has no facial hair is not manly enough and a man who has facial hair is not young enough. Beatrice is untraditional and has her own opinions. Beatrice is not an accepting character like

Beatrice and Benedick, however, in much contrast to Hero and Claudio are the ideal couple who are both equal in the relationship. Beatrice is an opinionated and stubborn woman who will have no one if she doesn't have the one she wants, which she makes clear throughout the play by refusing to marry lightly and by the conversation in Act One between her and Pedro. She chooses

She throws away her old self, stating "Contempt, farewell! and maiden pride, adieu!"(3.1.109). She also choses not to be so protective of her independence and declares love for Benedick, claiming "I will requite thee, Taming my wild heart to thy loving hand"(3.1.111-112). However, the true change in Beatrice does not show until the first church scene in which Claudio publicly humiliates Hero. Beatrice shows deep concern for her cousin Hero, the first time in the play where Beatrice shows concern for another. She is the first to claim Claudio is a liar and declare "on my soul, my cousin is belied!"(4.1.145). Beatrice then proves once again that she is a better person by demanding justice for Hero is met. Through Benedick, Beatrice plots to right the wrong and asks Benedick to "Kill Claudio"(4.1.290). It is in this scene as well that Beatrice, proving a complete turnaround in behavior, confesses to Benedick that "I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest "(4.1.287-288). This shows Beatrice transforming from someone who would scoff at marriage and love, declaring things like "I may sit in a corner and cry heigh-ho for a husband"(2.1.312-313), to someone who easily embraces love from the person she once mocked. But such a dramatic change is seen in her love as well.

In this Shakespearean comedy ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ two similarly obstinate characters of Beatrice and Benedick are presented between the rather normal relationship of characters Hero and Claudio. Shakespeare presents Beatrice and Benedick’s obstinacy towards the rather obligatory act of marriage and also their particularly similar personalities that cause reason for their familiar act of squabbling; he does this whilst also presenting two characters that are completely interested in marriage and who are hardly intellectually capable of squabbling in a similar manner. As the play unfolds both characters remain combative with one another but as love becomes the better of them, they begin to reveal that somewhat secretive sensitivity

Beatrice and Benedick as a Couple in William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing 'Much Ado About Nothing' is a Shakespeare play set in Mecina. It is a comedy, about Don Pedro and his friends. The play focuses on the relationships of the characters, especially that of Beatrice/Benedick and Claudio/Hero. The two romances follow two different ideas, one an average romance in Shakespeare's day, the other a not so average romance. Beatrice and Benedick's history together is made clear from the start, when Beatrice tells the messenger bringing news of Benedick's return, that he 'is no less than a stuffed man', implying that he is very full of himself.

Beatrice and Hero are related to each other. Although they are family it doesn't mean that they act the same or have less differences. Well that's the opposite in this story. Beatrice and Hero have many differences and less similarities due to the way they act, their self control, and in general the choices that they make in the book. In Much Ado About nothing by William Shakespeare Beatrice and Hero have differences from each other when it comes to their attitude.

One of the most intriguing characters from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing must be Beatrice. An intelligent, well-spoken (and, perhaps more interesting, outspoken) young woman, she is an almost exact opposite of her cousin, Hero. What makes Beatrice so different than what one expects of a woman during Shakespeare’s time? Why did Shakespeare decide to make her such a strong female character? It begs the question of what women were actually like in the Tudor era, and if she was really so radical a character.

Beatrice has no problem refusing to fit in with the norms of her society. Beatrice tries also to get Hero to place her need for marriage first before conforming to others want for her to get married. Beatrice does this when Hero is expected by Antonio and her father, Leanato, to say yes to the proposal of the prince. Beatrice explains, “Yes, faith; it is my cousin’s duty to make curtsy and say ‘Father, as it please you’. But yet for all that, cousin, let him be a handsome fellow, or else make another curtsy and say ‘Father, as it please me’.”